


A Touch of Lace

by alafaye



Series: Valentine's 2012 [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-03
Updated: 2012-02-03
Packaged: 2017-10-30 13:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/332168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Malfoy shows Harry another way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Touch of Lace

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a personal challenge of prompts that will not be the usual Valentine's pieces.

There was a new shop in Diagon. Harry heard about it from Hermione who hinted that Ginny might like something from there for Valentine's. Curious, he asked Ginny if she knew about the shop.

"I've been already," she said, beaming. She pin her hair together with a clip and turned to Harry. "Well?"

He didn't know quite that it made a difference, but still, he said, "Looks nice."

She tutted and picked up her bag. "You always say that."

"Your hair is beautiful no matter how you have it," he said. "I don't care how you wear it."

She rolled her eyes and shooed him out. A quick locking spell for the door of her flat and they were out in the street. They had made plans for dinner and Harry had made the appropriate reservation at a fancy restaurant. "So, the shop?"

"It's for lace." She hooked her hand over Harry's arm. "They have everything in there--a lot of it in the classic style, with silk. Some of it's cotton, of course. For everyday wear. There's the usual items--shawls, gloves, tablecloths. But also tapestries and umbrellas and neckties. All of it very good--I think I remember Mum had some from her mother that was the same quality."

He hummed, thinking. She went on as though he hadn't. "I think a nice shawl would be nice. Don't you? It adds just that extra touch without looking like it's too much. A nice white one."

He understood that for the hint it was. Not that he knew why she wanted one. "When would you wear it? You're in Quidditch--not a lot of occasions for it."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "It...might be nice. For a nice summer day. Over a white dress."

Though they kept walking, inside, he was frozen. Now that--that he knew. It had been a few years since the war and last year, Hermione and Ron had gotten married. Neville had proposed to Hananah Abbott two months ago. Seamus had married a girl from France in December. Even Luna had found a fiance. Everyone seemed to be waiting with hushed breath for Harry and Ginny to announce their own wedding, Ginny included. Every day that passed seemed to bring with it a sense that Harry had somehow failed.

He didn't know, exactly, why he was waiting. He made the usual excuses--Auror training, Ginny's career--but they were running thin. Everyone they knew had their careers, were building them, even as they got married. It just didn't seem right somehow. What if they got married amidst everyone else and found out it was only because all their friends were? What if they realized that they were just not right? He didn't quite see how they could have a married life--he was an Auror, gone sometimes for hours on a case, and she was soon to be on the road, traveling with her team. How did one make a life together from that?

He also seemed to think he was missing something. For example, just moments ago when she asked him about her hair style. He knew that it was very nice, lovely in fact, and made her face more beautiful. To him, however, it was just something nice she had done. However, he suspected that his response was not typical of man who was supposedly madly in love. His response was not what Ginny wanted to hear.

He cleared his throat. "Huh."

She turned her face away, tight with some emotion Harry didn't recognize. He was grateful to see the sign for the restaurant so he wouldn't have to ask. "Right on time. Hungry?"

"Yeah," she said quietly.

~~~

The shop was toward the end of Diagon, tucked away so far that it was almost invisible. Many shoppers looked at the display--a manikin dressed in a delicate lace dress and holding a lace umbrella--but then walked by. Despite the display, it was an unappealing building; the paint was peeling, the bricks broken or torn away, the door grimy. With a grimace, Harry walked into the shop. Lilting music played from somewhere and the scent of cotton and silk tickled his nose. He looked around, trying to find the shawls. 

A door opened in the back and Harry turned with a half smile, grateful for some help. "Ah, hello. I'm looking for something specific."

Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow and looked Harry up and down. "Something for yourself? I'm afraid we don't carry many items for men, but I think we might have something for you, Potter."

Harry gulped. He had wondered where Malfoy had gone after the war, but this was never in his mind for what might have happened to him. "Ah, no. No, not for me. For...my girlfriend."

"Ginevra, right?" Malfoy asked. He set down his bundle, a stack of white that looked too delicate and fine to be just placed there.

"Yeah," Harry said. "She said a shawl might be nice--something in cotton, but not too fancy."

Malfoy chuckled quietly. "I can tell you what she was really looking at." He waved his wand and a manikin in the back corner slid forward. It was dressed in a simple white gown, finer and more fairy like than the shop display and exactly the sort of dress that Harry would imagine Ginny wanting for her wedding. He groaned. Malfoy hummed. "Something the matter? I'm sure a gift certificate for this would be exactly the thing she wants for Valentine's."

"This is a wedding gown," Harry said quietly.

"Yes," Malfoy said. "I've had many offers for it. I would gladly give you a discount--I'd get more shoppers if your girlfriend was seen wearing it."

"I don't want that," Harry said through gritted teeth. He hated to be reminded of how the public behaved, especially when Harry was the subject. And he certainly did not want to be reminded by yet another wizard that it was past time for Harry to get married!

"My apologies," Malfoy said. Another wave of his wand and the manikin was back in it's proper corner. "I had thought that the rumors, for once, were true."

"What rumors?"

"That you and Ginevra were getting married soon," Malfoy said, lacking any trace of interest.

Harry rubbed his hands over his face. "We're not. I haven't even proposed!"

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "If I could, Potter, you should know that your girlfriend has only one thing on her mind and it's getting you to the altar."

Harry sighed. "I know. So does everyone else."

"If you don't want to, you should tell her," Malfoy said. "Now, I'll have to ask you to leave. I refuse to sell items to shoppers when I know the gift will only be returned."

Harry growled. "And how do you know that?"

"Because you and Ginevra want different things from your relationship and it's clear there's only one way for it to go," Malfoy said. "If I were you, I'd break it off now and save you both the pain."

"I love her!"

"But you're not in love with her, are you? And that's the problem, Potter. You'll buy her a shawl, like she asked for, and then she'll be dropping more hints about a wedding. Which you, clearly, do not want. Because you cannot imagine spending the rest of your life with her."

Harry stormed out of the shop. He didn't have to take that! The other shoppers stepped out of his way as he went back to the Leaky Cauldron and used the Floo to go back to his flat. Malfoy was wrong--of course Harry was in love with Ginny! He did want to spend the rest of his life with her!

And any one--including himself--who said otherwise, was wrong.

~~~

Ginny's face fell when she opened the box. "Oh."

Harry's shoulders slumped. "You don't like it."

She held up the white scarf. "No, it's fine."

"I'll take it back," Harry said. "I'll see if I can find you something else."

She took a deep breath and set the box aside. "Harry--I think we need to talk."

~~~

Harry drag his finger through the condensation on the side of the glass. The whiskey was getting watery very quickly, but he wasn't paying it any attention. His arm still stung from Ginny's stinging hex and his mind was dulled from their argument. He took a deep breath and shook his head. How could he have been so blind?

"Potter," Malfoy said, sliding into the free seat next to him.

"What do you want?" Harry growled.

"Oh, nothing much," Malfoy said. "But I did want to tell you to stop moping."

"I just broke up with my girlfriend. I think I'm entitled to a little moping." Harry sipped his drink and shook his head.

"You're better for it," Malfoy said. "You're off to be an Auror and she's going to be on the road with her team. Better this way."

"And I won't have any friends," Harry said. "They're all going to hate me--now I'm going to be the only one not getting married. Ruining the perfect ending."

"Just because your friends are getting married doesn't mean you should," Malfoy said. "That's rather lemming like of you, though what can one expect from Gryffindors? And if all they want to talk about is setting you up, find some single friends. You're only 19, Potter! Enjoy life."

"What if I don't want to?" Harry argued hotly.

Malfoy waved his hand. "A few weeks from now, you'll wonder how you got along before. You weren't in love with her and you didn't want to marry her. Soon, she'll be bringing home someone new and you'll be happy for her." He stood and patted Harry on the shoulder. "And you--enjoy being single. Trust me. You were made for it."

Harry watched him walk away and shook his head. Enjoy it. Right. He signaled for the bartender and waved his glass.

~~~

_Six Months Later_

Harry laughed and shook his head. He tugged Mary closer and grinded a bit harder. They'd met only a few weeks ago and had no plans to be anything but friends with benefits. It suited them both, suited what they both wanted. It was fun. "No, he's a wimp in bed. Just look at the way he dances."

She shook her head. "You silly man! Let me go and find out! Then we can share his secrets."

"Hope you won't share mine," he teased.

She pushed him away and winked. He shook his head as he watched her go and went to the bar for a bottle of water. 

"Potter."

Harry turned to Malfoy and leaned on his arm on the bar. "Malfoy. Go away. I'm happy."

Malfoy smirked. "I know. I just want to hear it."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. You were right. For once." He held up a finger. "Just once."

Malfoy shrugged. "Now I only have one question."

"What's that?"

"Have a problem dancing with a man? Just one dance."

"So long as you know I don't want anything else."

"Done."

Harry laughed as Malfoy dragged him out, happy and safe knowing that this was all Malfoy wanted. It was good to enjoy a bit of nothing once in a while. He leaned forward to be heard over the music. "Thank you."

Malfoy winked. "Welcome."


End file.
